Bozo's Secret .....

Bozo, is still at his holiday home with friends, as his folks are travelling, and they send him photos of folks they meet . Sometimes, from some dog shows that they attended in Birmingham, UK.

Sometimes spiffy looking  fellows in earth colors, sometimes jet black, all brushed and groomed as if they were meeting the Queen; and sometimes a British beauty like this, with the latest in hair and makeup, not to mention wisps of hair strategically styled around the face, just so.

Bozo sees these pictures, and politely applauds.  What he actually thinks is something else....

Something
slightly different
from our
yearly Miss India pageant
where fellows
stand no chance
whatsoever.

I see that
my folks have been
attending beauty pageants
in Birmingham,
and sending me
photos,
of some smashing folks,
both male and female.

Saw a few last week,
and now
this amazing beauty
with the latest
streaked glossy hairstyle
and
coffeured hair,
not to mention
the heavily kohled eyes.......

I beg your pardon,
I am a
bit old fashioned,
that way,
and I still root
for my dear friend
Luci of Thiruvananthapuram ....

All these Birmingham folks
are not a patch
on her......

Tiny Minds, Huge Sense

My blog and FB friend Sandhya Kumar from Chennai, recently shared this amazing click from the   EcoVision Sustainable Learning Center  .

 

Quoting from their page :

This incident took place in Punjab (INDIA) when 2 puppies fell inside a well. The mother of the 2 puppies kept barking at the well which probed the owner of the dogs to peep inside. To his amazement he found that a King Cobra silently stayed by the side of these 2 puppies and didn’t pose any threat to them. As a matter of fact the King Cobra guided the puppies to stay by the safe end of the well which further prevented them from drowning in water.

The puppies and the snake remained in the well for 48 hours. When help arrived from the forest department the snake moved to the other end of the pool. The puppies are safe and sound at this moment. The snake was later removed from the well and released in the woods.

Even the deadliest of animals learned the importance of empathy and co-existence, time for us to follow suit.

 

 

(photo courtesyEcoVision Sustainable Learning Center)

They follow

no caste system,

no  prestige issues,

wait for no sanctions,

perform for no awards,

don't discriminate on abilities,

don't rub their limbs

or fangs in glee

at the sight

of an easy helpless prey

and put on no religious shows

claiming to be

worshippers of a special God.

and killers of all others.

For that

you must be a human

with a

shamelessly evolved cortex.

Black Dogs, White Thoughts.....

Bozo, Mumbai's celebrated dog-with-his-own-blog,  pretends to be a dog of the world, but mostly lapses back into being a simple home loving chap almost immediately.  He is also now on Facebook. 

His folks are currently away visiting in the Queen's land, and other places, and they communicate electronically with him, and Bozo has been noticing the increasing reference to a certain Black Dog  in many of Magiceye's postings. 

 Magiceye sent him this photo from a place they must have visited.

And Bozo, smart fellow that he is, has certainly  learnt something...... 

Ever since
FaceBook happened
in my Life,
it's been fun
meeting folks from far away
and seeing
wonderful photos.

My folks
who are
travelling
in the Queen's country
also keep sending me photos,
like this one.

As well as visiting places
and then coming back
and enjoying
the company
of
a Black Dog.

Now I understand,
why they sent me this picture...

They see me
in these fellows,
particularly ,
the youngest
and they see my thoughts
in the eyes
of these three.

I understand.
About the youngest.

The Black Dog.

Finally.
 
I await their return.

Centuries at Lodi.....

Doulous Jose, a new blogger friend, thanks to Bozo Amembal, did a great post on his visit to the Lodi Gardens in New Delhi.

Imposing monuments, wide green expanses, some landscaped and some inclusive of old trees that live according to their own different timetable.  Do read his wonderful post here ,  where he describes the poetic splendour after actually spending some time there.

This poem is courtesy Bozo Amembal who lives in Mumbai, and  really doesn't think he will be visiting Lodi Gardens anytime soon.  But it doesn't stop him from fantasizing about the trees there.....

(Photo by Doulous Jose)

,

The grasses
respectfully prostrated
around the tombs and mosques,
Orderly shady trees,
renewed and curated
at a respectable distance,
in sober attitude,
but one tree,
that moves with the seasons,
sometimes
celebrating
green birth,
sometimes,
shedding of leafy youth,
and then again,
the travails of
a bare old age.

A lone message
that says,
births and deaths
are just the seasons
in our history.
In whichever way we can,
ensure,
that Life goes on ......

Zzzzzzzzz.......

My FB friend  Pandit Gourang Kodical-ji , posted this visual on FB.  Panditji, with a very illustrious music career, and a career in banking , is now retired, and delights his many friends on FB, with some very perceptive anecdotes, jokes and visuals.

Please read more about him here .   

The sheer inertia and expression with which the larger monkey lay on the branch, with its limbs hanging limply, eyes half open,   brought home the times in which we live today.

She lies,
limbs hanging lax,
weighed down
under the mass
of corrupt scams,
power medications
shameless inertia,
and
inability to deal with it all.

The ordinary one,
taking time off
from earning a daily
honest living,
comes by,
sometimes,
to pay his
respectful taxes,
sometimes,
because someone said
a visit might work,
and
sometimes,
to scratch and rub her back,
hoping she might
feel good,
wake up,
and try becoming
the wonderful person she was,
aeons ago.....

The Generation Gap

Generation Gaps ,  are known to exist in food as well.

My blogger and FB friend from Melbourne, Shruti Nargundkar,  writes  about encouraging her daughter Amruta to make "potstckers" at home; these are savoury mixed vegetable Chinese style steamed Momos in random shapes, eaten with a dip or chutney.  (Possibly a greatly enjoyed food in the Chinese cuisine of Melbourne).

Read about a post  about that, done by her daughter, Amruta, here  ....

Age, and memories of other steamed delicacies, naturally take me back . Modaks, were, and  remain today , much loved items in my state of Maharashtra.  And I like to think, that no matter where folks go from here, a little bit of the Modak DNA goes with them ......

(Photo of Modak, courtesy Google; photo of Potstickers, by Amruta Nargundkar)

कुणा एके काळी , सोसासोसाने केले तलम निर्या दाखवणारे उकडीचे मोदक , कौतुकाच्या अखंड ओलाव्यात पांढरया मलमलच्या चिंब रुमालावर तांब्याच्या लक्ख पात्रात शिजून, विर्घळ्णार्या तुपाच्या सुवासात अत्यंत शुभ्रपणे तिच्या पानात यायचे… अणि मग एके दिवशी तिला कुठेतरी मैद्याच्या तिखट मुटकुळ्या दिस्ल्या. अनेक भाज्यांचे बज्बज्लेले महिला मंडळ , एकमेकात गुंतलेल्या , "सोया"रीक जमलेल्या भाज्या , त्यांच्यात रंगलेल्या आंबट गोड गप्पा, आणि मधूनच आलं-लसणा ने वटारलेले डोळे . वर्गातल्या बाईंनी छडी आपटून , वर्गाला गप्प केल्यासारखे , अचानक कसतरी केलेलि गुंडाळी, आणि मग त्यांना शिक्षा म्हणून कढईच्या मध्यावर तेलात बसण्याची शिक्षा ; आयुष्यात बसलेले चटके , गडबडीने टाकलेले पाणी , आणि पूर्वीच्या आयुष्यावर झाकण टाकून, भविष्या बद्दल केले मनन . ह्या सगळ्याचे सोनेरी व्रण तर रहातात. कधी कधी कढईला लहान मुलीसारखे चिकटून बसतात आणि काही चटण्या काळजीने जवळ हि येतात । वाफ़ाळ्लेले अमृत मंथन अनेक प्रकारचे मुट्कुळे तयार करते, ती आग्रह करून सर्वाना वाढते. कुणा एके संध्याकाळि , ती रिकाम्या प्लेटी उचलते, एक छानशि ताटली मांडते , बनवलेल्या चिकटणार्या मुट्कुळ्यान्सारखी आपल्या आईला जाउन चिकट्ते , आणि म्हणते, "डेसर्ट ला मोदक करशील ….?"

So many thousand moons ago, spotless Modaks, the silky pleats held together by a top pout, would steam delicately on damp mul drenched in the aura of the copper vessel, waiting to be escorted by an agitated melting spoon of ghee, before coming to rest on her plate. And then one day , she met these savoury inquisitive potstickers. Like a bunch of assorted veggie ladies who lunched, so many chatting, gossipping, relishing the sweet and sour, even the hot, occasionally responding to the ginger-garlic disapproving stares. And suddenly, coming together, like a teacher disciplining her class, with a stick, they fall in together, into little flour strips, and wrap themselves close, only to be consigned to a hot oil foot bath in an unsympathetic wok. A few golden abrasions later, a relenting shower of water and a turning, and they sit, chastened and covered, thinking about their Karma. A gentle pulling out of the wok, and the chutney rushes in to comfort them, the potstickers... Like the Amrut Manthan, churning of the Ocean, she churns out for the family, so many varieties.... But one day, when it's all over, she removes the plates, clears the table of her mind, and like her potstickers, rushes to stick to her Mom, and whispers, "Do you think I can have some Modaks for dessert ?".....

The Noble Metals....

This brilliant capture of a Greenshank on the beach at Surathkal, near Mangalore , in the south, on India's Western Coast, is by my blog and FB friend Nandan Tavanandi.

This juxtaposition of the flowing Gold, and the foaming Silver rolling in, the molten reflections, and the simplicity of the Greenshank, alighting there, from a long trip from the Arctic regions, makes for an out of this world photo opportunity, very few might enjoy.

And then again, to be able to click it all , with such finesse and quiet, is a gift from the Gods. 

Emigrating
from the Arctic winter
in search
of a better life,
like so many,
he flies
across a troubled land,
cursed in the moment
with folks
pretending
to be noble and in power,
having brought
the ordinary citizenry
to its knees....

Way down South,
he alights,
amidst the
Gold and The Silver,
rushing in
again and again
in waves and light
to comfort the land.

This Gold and Silver,
not for those in power,
but for all
whose sweat and tears
make the metals shine.

They were Noble Metals ,
weren't they ?

Power Smiles......

My FB and blogger friend Nandan Tavanandi, posted this amazing click of a "smiling" crocodile, clicked  from a boat in the Chambal River , at the National Chambal Sanctuary, Murena.   While on a photo trek with Nature India.

Please see some amazing visuals here on his blogpost . 

Such visuals are not new to me since  one has seen crocs and alligators similarly sunning themselves on jutting rocks, in the local lake in Mumbai , on whose banks, I have resided.

The only possible difference is, that, these days, some crocodiles, have reason to smile. Widely.

In a lake
now choc a bloc
with silt
sewage and garbage
of every corrupt variety,
he glides
smoothly
in and out
like an amphibian in power.

He bites the innocent ones,
swallows the weak,
and decapitates
those who dare to
put up a fight,
soon tiring,
and emerging
to enjoy his place
in a despairing Sun
on a helpless rock.

He smiles.

No one can touch him,
born as he is,
with his own Z++++ security.

A Bozoical Vacation

Bozo, Mumbai's dog-with-his-own-blog gets a bit philosophical about things.  He is very observant, and quickly notices a change in the household routine.

Some folks think he even understands Konkani and Marathi, not to mention, English.

Recently he noticed a flurry of excited activity in the house, plenty of phone calls, bags being packed, and repacked,  and he realized, on driving  someplace with Magiceye, that he too would be going somewhere for a while , possibly to see some old friends of his.

At first he wondered why . 

While he has now figured out what is happening, and is a bit upset,  he is looking at this time as an opportunity to spend some time and "hang out" ,  as these bipeds say,  with his own set of friends...... 

There
has been
a sense of excitement
in the house
the last few days.

Sudden phone calls,
quick last minute shopping,
packing
and repacking of bags.

I almost
missed a heartbeat....

The last time
this happened,
she went away to another land
to live with her
Prince Charming,
and we all took time
adjusting to that.

I slowly learned
what happens in a biped world,
when little girls
 grow up.

As for me,
I don't have much to pack,
and
I am spending
a short vacation
hanging around with some pals
in a special resort.

I hear my folks
will return
in a while.

I just hope
they bring back
my childhood friend
for a short visit.....

The Show must go on......

This regal capture of a peacock sedately stepping , was clicked and posted on FB, by Pintueli Gajjar , who besides being a friend of my FB and Blogger friend Sangeeta Khanna   is a trained artist,  an avid biker/trekker (having done the likes of Khardung La treks from Manali etc),  a birder, and an environmental educationist.  She is also a grandmother.

 The serious grace of the bird, the dry , barely green surroundings, and the very royal pomp-loving attitude in the photo, kind of reminded me of several protocols followed by us in Official functions in India, where the President visits.  Particularly, the measured cadence in which he walks in to Parliament when he addresses both houses.

The King,
in solitary splendour,
in his imperial Regalia
leading the procession
into
the Forest Parliament,
for a Joint Session
of the Lower and Upper Forests.

It's just that
disappearing streams,
loss of green
due to cutting of trees,
and polluting the only good river
with industrial effluents
upriver,
not to mention
whizzing tourists in jeeps,
have sent
all the MP's
back
to their constituencies
deep in the jungle.

No ADC's,
no turbanned guards,
just curious bipeds
squinting and clicking
in a bemused
midday Sun.

Smashing Sachin, Crouching Wade

Stewart Monckton, my blogger friend from Melbourne, who is  a Birdwatcher, Biologist, Bushwalker, Booklover and Ex-pat from UK, clicked this wonderful cricket capture , in his backyard. 

Please also see his wonderful second blog "Paying Ready Attention : Thoughts on the Natural World"

With the ongoing Test cricket series between Australia and India , happening in various cities India, and right now in Hyderabad, naturally, the stance of the cricket (insect) reminded me of something.

Sachin Tendulkar who was then yet to bat (and is now back in the pavilion to the great disappointment of every one including Stewart), naturally figured in my thoughts. 

Maybe I should simply call this guy below, Mathew Wade.....

He slowly crouched,
eyes focused,
mind antennas sharp,
keeping wickets,
as the wind came in to bowl.

But Sachin Tendulkar
at the crease
meant something else.

The ball smashed
under him
as he bent to
hold a catch,
missed,
and the leafy umpire,
simply waved
his arms in the air,
to declare four runs.....

Innocent minds, Simple solutions.....

FB friend of Bozo and amazing gardener Anuradha Philar, posted this interesting photo on Bozo's timeline on FB. Although Bozo has almost always faced the camera and never gone behind it,  he knows his best pictures come from a family Canon, clicked by Magiceye..

This fellow, is using a Nikon, with all the associated paraphernalia, including his master's sunglasses for effect.  But somewhere, Bozo wondered why the tongue was out.

And then he found out. Read on ....

I've been fascinated
by cameras,
ever since
someone would point
it at me and click.

But I never saw
what they could see
through the camera....

One day,
I got my hands on the stuff,
wore the safety belt
around my neck,
used a tripod for support,
and looked
through the viewfinder.

People
breaking and burning things,
beating those weaker than them,
shouting slogans,
molesting women
and little girls,
some other folks
unwilling to help,
and lots of shouting
when someone
who looked powerful
would arrive.

I didn't like
what I saw,
and I didn't want to click.

At all.

I just licked the viewfinder clean........

Bozo and E-Bozo

Bozo, likes to keep up with the times, and is very busy these days , not just on his own blog, but also on Facebook.  He even got a bunch of warnings from MZ, when he first started up on Facebook.

Times have changed, Bozo has many friends and admirers on FB.  Some comment, and some even travel to his home to meet him and shake his hand. One such moment , captured  by Magiceye, the chronicler of his Life and Times, when D J Traveller, came to meet him ! 

Someone needs to
do an article
on a
Dog's Life on the Net!

I've been blogging
and Facebooking,
and so many friends
like Luci Shail
have joined.

Long before
you guys
started sending messages
to each other via computers,
unheard by anyone else,
we fellows
were expertly communicating
and listening
at magical frequencies.

Today,
I have new friends.
Two old ladies,
one each from Mumbai and Delhi,
and now
a new friend
D J. Traveller
from Gurgaon , near Delhi !

Not just e-friends,
but real ones,
because
they came to my home
to specially
meet me.....

Time to set up a WoofNet ?

That incredible golden feeling.....

My friend Priyadarshan Kale is an expert connoisseur and imbiber of traditional food , and knows where to source the best variety in Mumbai. He enjoys his food and then posts pictures on FB.

This time, as a professional corporate type, he paid attention to the Finance Minister announcing the features of the budget, but was not to be found, soon after the minster announced an enhancement in the duty free allowance on golden things.

Read more to find out where he went....

वित्तमंत्र्यांनी उठून संसदेत सांगितले कि "मंडळी, आता तुम्ही ज्यास्त सोने आणू शकता…." आणि राजाभाऊ धावले ! आत सोनेरी गोडव्यानी काठोकाठ भरलेली केशव विनायक , गिरगाव , यांच्याकडे माहेर असणारी मउसूत पुरणपोळी , सोनेरी डाळीत एकजीव होउ पाहणारी पण आपले भविश्यात्ले सोनेरी आयुष्य विसरून, स्वतःला समर्पित करणारी कैरी आणि लोणचे मसाला योग साधून तिखट लोकांशी गप्पा करणारी तिची दुसरी मैत्रीण …. सोनेरी तुपाची नाजूक धार पुरण्पोळीवर पडली, आणि राजाभाऊ संतुष्ट होउन म्हणाले, "वाह! चिदम्बरम, वाह! …! बजेट असावा तर असं ! "

The Finance Minister announced in Parliament an increase in the amount of gold you could bring in to the country duty free, but Rajabhau heard only the word "gold" ! And he arrived home, with soft Puranpolis, from their Maika at Keshav Vinayak, Girgaon, filled to the brim and all the edges, with sweet golden Puran. Awaiting him was Golden Waatli dal, celebrating the union of freshly soaked Chana Dal, bashful, in a crush, on seeing the season's kairi falling all over it in fine shreds, ignoring, its own golden mango future. While some other Kairis preferred to flirt with the spicy and hot types in a pickle. A fine stream of golden melted ghee spreading in joy all over the Puran Poli, and RajaBhau, looked up, at the television, smiled, and said , "Wah, Chidambaram, Wah ! What a budget! What a budget!"

Inspirations for Bollywood

This photo  captioned LIFE = Cofee + VadaPao, was posted by my FB and  photoblogger  friend Joshi Daniel.   This isn't  the sort of photo he normally  posts, and I do not know if this is actually Joshi Daniel , or his friend.

The more important ingredients here are really the coffee and the Vada Pao, the former possibly being a wonderful traditionally made south Indian filter coffee, and the latter , a  Mumbai speciality, that now figures in the "40 Mumbai Foods we cannot live without".....

Wonder what the coffee thinks.....

Coffee,
waiting patiently,
halfheartedly watching
through the glass,
her once loyal Pao,
now being led astray
by the hot
voluptuous Vadaa
aided
in no uncertain terms
by the
item number chutney

Harking back
to the days
when she and the Pao
enjoyed
a dunking time together,
she sighs
and says ,
"What a life, man,
what a life !"